At the Corner of Broadway and Babylon - 2

At the Corner of Broadway and Babylon – 2

Light in the Darkness

Daniel 1:8-21

Introduction

George Lucas' 2012 film Red Tails [pic] provides a dramatized version of the true events behind a group of World War II soldiers called the Tuskegee Airmen. Formally, they belonged to the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps. The nickname "Red Tails" was coined after the group painted the tails of their aircraft red.

The Tuskegee Airmen became famous for two reasons. First, they were the first African American military aviators in the United States armed forces. But the Red Tails hold a special significance in American history, not just racially, but militarily. In the European air war, U.S. bombers were getting shot down at increasingly alarming rates. The problem arose when the enemy attacked. Fighter pilots, protecting the bombers, would leave the bomber to engage enemy aircraft. Though this seemed like the obvious response, it meant leaving the bombers vulnerable to attack. Each lost bomber carried a crew of 10 or 11 American soldiers.

The Tuskegee Airmen were brought in and given a different strategy: Never leave the bombers. Never. Regardless of what was happening around them. When the enemy attacked, stay the course and defend your charge. The result of their steadfast devotion? Only 25 of the hundreds of bombers they protected during the war were lost. Their stellar reputation became legend: If you flew a bomber, you wanted the Red Tails with you. On the movie screen, the Tuskegee Airmen gather around each other on an airstrip in a foreign land and shout their motto: "The last plane, the last bullet, the last man, the last minute, we fight!"

The Tuskegee Airmen are celebrated, not just because they were excellent pilots, but because they never wavered from their duty; they never left their charge. No matter what happened, they stayed faithful to their calling.

It is this topic of faithfulness that we come to now in our journey through the OT prophet of Daniel. Let’s remind ourselves of the context…King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has become the reigning superpower over the Earth. He attacks Jerusalem for the first of three times in 606BC and takes members of the royal family and nobility back to Babylon. He plans to re-educate them, train them, and get the best people from the world to serve his Kingdom.

Included in this group of exiles is Daniel and his friends. They are assigned food rations from the King’s own table…his food and his wine to drink. After their three years of planned indoctrination, they are to be tested and then begin to serve the King in some capacity. After having known only a life guided by God’s truth, they find themselves in a tough spot. How will they respond to the temptations of the new world around them?

Daniel 1:8-21 - 8 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. 9 And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, 10 and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” 11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” 14 So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. 16 So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.

17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. 20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. 21 And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.

TS – Daniel shows us the challenge and the blessing of faithfulness to God no matter the consequence. He teaches us three reasons to be faithful:

1. BE FAITHFUL BECAUSE IT HONORS GOD

Look back at verse 8 – 8 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.

This is quite a statement. The word the Bible uses here for ‘defile’ has a religious connotation to it. So this isn’t that the food is bad per se, but that it would be religiously unacceptable to eat it. Why would it be religiously unacceptable? Well, it could be merely that the food is not kosher and does not honor God’s food laws in the OT. While that is certainly likely true, there is more to this. This food and wine would definitely have been offered to Babylon’s pagan gods as worship. To eat this food and drink this wine would be to honor those pagan gods.

Daniel resolves…he will never honor those pagan false gods. His loyalty, his devotion, his faithfulness is to God alone. And with that, there is even more going on here…while he asks to eat only vegetables, those would’ve been offered to the false gods too. So what is Daniel concerned about?

By resolving not to defile himself, he is keeping himself from the temptation to get swept up in the luxurious temptations of Babylon. What they are experiencing is unlike anything they’ve ever seen in their entire lives. One could argue Daniel and his friends grew up sheltered…religious education, devout lifestyle, centered around God and his law. Now here they are in the capital of the world being offered new and exotic foods, likely the best on the planet. What is Daniel doing? He is practically showing that he will not conform. He doesn’t want to even dabble with the possibility of enjoying these good, but pagan things. He is reminding himself every time he eats that he is to be distinct, that he is one of God’s people who are to be unlike the world.

But I think there is even more going on here…by the King providing all this food and wine, which is from his very own table, he is creating an environment of dependence upon himself. These new exiles have the king to thank for their good fortune. Every glorious morsel of food or delicious wine…it all comes from his hand. This is part of their indoctrination…you owe everything to, you are dependent on the king.

But Daniel resolved…he won’t fall for it. He owes everything to only one. He is dependent on only one. And it isn’t Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel resolves to be faithful to God alone, because his faithfulness honors God.

Now, here is the lesson for us…decide on your convictions ahead of time. Can you imagine if Daniel had waited to decide what he was going to do until he got to Babylon and is hungry, sitting with this food and wine in front of him? No way he would have stayed faithful. Daniel knows ahead of time who he is and who God has called him to be. And that predetermination of how he has chosen to live makes all the difference.

- Resolve now how you are going to honor God with your body before you find yourself alone with someone in a compromising situation.

- Resolve now how you are going to honor God with your finances before you get your paycheck.

- Resolve now that you will not gossip about people before your coworker does something foolish.

- Resolve now that you will stay committed to your spouse no matter what, long before they make you mad or disappoint you.

2. BE FAITHFUL BECAUSE IT PROTECTS YOU

Go back to verse 9 - 9 And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs…

Daniel resolves to be faithful to the Lord and look at God’s response! God protects him and helps him be faithful in such a tempting situation. And it happens again a few verses later. After 10 days of the new diet, the result is that Daniel and his friends were “fatter in flesh.” While that doesn’t sound good, it simply means they were “fitter” than the rest. And how could they not be? But after only 10 days? No, this is God’s doing.

Their faithfulness to God activates God’s blessing in their life. Some people don’t like hearing truths like this because they say it sounds legalistic. No, this is not legalism. Calling people to holiness is not unbiblical. Declaring that God blesses people who honor him doesn’t undermine the truths of the Gospel. We are not saved by righteous things we do…but there are ways of living that God blesses and ways of living that he does not bless.

1 Samuel 2:30 - …for those who honor me I will honor…

2 Chronicles 16:9 - 9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.

Daniel is faithful to the Lord, and what does God do in response? Look at verse 21 - 21 And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.

That is 539BC. Daniel is preserved by God in a hostile culture for 67 years. This doesn’t mean that Daniel died that year, just that his service to the king ended then. Daniel will live to see God’s people allowed to go back home to Jerusalem under King Cyrus (Ezra and Nehemiah), which happens only three years into Cyrus’s reign. The Jews considered Daniel exceptional. The Babylonians considered Daniel exceptional. The Medes (chapter 6) considered Daniel exceptional. The Persians considered Daniel exceptional. How does that happen? He was faithful to the Lord and the Lord protected him.

Where is it in your life that you know you need to be faithful? Is it more faithfulness in meeting with God in the Bible? Faithfulness in engaging more at church? Faithfulness with your money? Is it a relationship that is in the way or needs to change? Is it an area of sin where you need to come clean and repent? Resolve…be faithful.

3. BE FAITHFUL BECAUSE IT BLESSES OTHERS

Go back to verses 17-20 - 17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. 20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.

God is involved in their success (gave them learning and skill) but these men work hard, learn the culture, and perform with excellence. They didn’t rebel against Nebuchadnezzar. They weren’t passive aggressive. They immersed themselves in the learning. They excelled in their training. Why? Because they loved Babylon and thought it better than Jerusalem? Because they thought the pagan false gods of Babylon were superior to the God of Israel? No! Because their success would enable them to stand in leadership in Babylon and bless others. As we move through Daniel you will see that, as a direct result of their faithfulness, Daniel and his friends will be continually promoted.

Their faithfulness put them in the unique position to represent God and to speak on God’s behalf in their culture. They didn’t retreat to be monks in a cave. They worked to help the empire succeed. Friends, culture is not God’s enemy. So long as we are faithful to him, we are free to influence and to lead in whatever environment he puts us in.

Jeremiah 29 records a letter sent by God through the prophet Jeremiah to these exiles in Babylon. A couple verses in this chapter a quite well known…for I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, to give you a hope and a future…we know those because they are splattered all over graduation gifts. Those words are not written to a commencement crowd, but to a concentration camp. Here is what God says to them right before that…

Jeremiah 29:4-7 - 4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

Seek the success of your city, of your nation, of your world. Why? Well, why wouldn’t you? If you want things to go well for you, it needs to go well for the broader culture. You and I are intricately tied to the culture in which we live. We are not called by God to be monks in caves, but to be salt and light in a dark and decaying world. And here is the thing about being salt and light…light has to be relatively close to the dark to light it up. Salt has to be applied to the food to season it or preserve it. Light that is hidden or salt that remains in the shaker doesn’t help anyone.

- So talk to your neighbors. Share your faith. Go public that you follow Jesus.

- Have that conversation with your boss or coworker. Seek that promotion.

- Put yourself out there into uncomfortable situations.

Your faithfulness to the Lord doesn’t just honor him. Your faithfulness to the Lord doesn’t just protect you. Your faithfulness to the Lord blesses others.

Conclusion

Semper Fidelis, the Latin phrase translating as “Always faithful” is the motto of the US Marine Corps [pic]. The phrase originated from the Roman Senators once they had their Intervention and took over power from the Emperor. As they set up the new Republic, they wanted to be Always Faithful to the glory of the Empire.

The earliest definitive usage of the phrase as a motto is for the French town of Abbeville, since 1369. It has been used by families and communities throughout Europe, especially in England and Ireland. Since the 1600’s, it has been used by differing military units across the globe. The US Marine Corps adopted it in 1883 on order of Colonel Charles McCawley, the 8th Commandant of the Marines.

The phrase signifies undying loyalty and devotion. No matter the consequence, no matter the context…always faithful. This is what Daniel and his friends lived out in the harsh reality of Babylon. This is what you and I must continue to live out in our everyday life.

No matter the context…no matter the consequence…Semper Fi.

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